Systems and methods for capture and use of local elements in gameplay

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method is provided for enabling virtual gameplay. Access is provided to at least one video game in which a player is able to interact with the video game according to a storyline. A player location is detected and stored. A local element is retrieved from a database based on the player location and the local element is correlated to a local element script actuatable in the video game. This local element script is retrieved and actuated in the video game to supplement or replace the video game&#39;s storyline.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/084,113, filed Nov. 19, 2013, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/796,715, filed Nov. 19, 2012, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is related to video game applications in generaland video game applications for the capture and use of local elements toimpact gameplay in particular.

BACKGROUND

A virtual world is a computer simulated environment. A virtual world mayresemble the real world, with real world rules such as physical rules ofgravity, geography, topography, and locomotion. A virtual world may alsoincorporate rules for social and economic interactions between virtualcharacters. Player (users) may be represented as avatars, two orthree-dimensional graphical representations. Virtual worlds may be usedfor massively multiple online role-playing games, for social or businessnetworking, or for participation in imaginary social universes.

Prior art virtual worlds have storylines that are either static orbranch in a rather predictable fashion. Prior art methods for abranching storyline are well known in the industry, where the outcome ofone encounter defines the starting point of the next. Such virtualworlds have a set number of possible branches and a player's skills,interaction with other players and non-player characters (NPCs) aids inthe creation of variety and new possibilities. Mostly, the storyline isalso dependent on the virtual character (Player Character) that a playerchooses to engage in the gameplay of the virtual world.

These existing virtual worlds lack the ability to take the player'slocation and its various local elements into account for meaningfulimpact on gameplay. By overcoming these limitations, the presentinvention allows for a richer and more unique gameplay experience foreach player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A player's real world location may have a significant meaning for theplayer, and thus an emotional bond may already exist. By exploiting thisemotional bond and making the storyline of a virtual world dependent onthe local elements a more interesting and meaningful experience can beprovided. Thus a player may be willing to spend more time engaging witha virtual world when the virtual world's storyline is impacted by thechanging local elements. Likewise, a player may enjoy the option tochoose a real world location and interact with a virtual world impactedby local elements of that chosen location.

This application describes systems and methods whereby the storyline ofa virtual world may change based on the real world local elements of aparticular location. Thus changes to the real world local elements mayinfluence the gameplay of a virtual world. Local elements may includebut are not limited to weather e.g. storms, hurricanes; social andpolitical environments like political and social unrest, protest,peaceful rallies, marathon runs, local festivals, stock market ups/downsand crashes, elections whether local, state or nation level, localrobberies, crime and heists, mafia and related incidents, trafficcongestion, accidents, construction, construction related delays etc.derived from the location.

In one embodiment of the invention there may be virtual charactersassociated with each of the changing local elements. For example as aresult of political and social unrest in the real world, an element ofchaos may be introduced (e.g. bringing hordes of NPCs into the virtualworld to reflect real life). Thus there may be predefined scriptsincorporated in the virtual world, each script may be associated with adifferent local element, and upon encountering such a local element therelevant script is called into play impacting the storyline of thevirtual world.

In one single-player embodiment the virtual characters that areavailable to the player are dependent on the local elements of thelocation of the player. In another multi-player embodiment the locationof each player then introduces virtual characters associated with thelocal elements of these real world locations. Thus depending on who isplaying from where, the storyline keeps changing, since the combinationof virtual characters changes based on the real world local elements ofthe location of the players.

In one embodiment of the invention, the items and loot that the playersmay come across, monsters and enemies that they may fight, traps andpuzzles that they may have to overcome may vary based on the changinglocal elements of real world location(s).

The term “storyline” may include, but is not necessarily limited to, theaesthetics, virtual characters that are available, plot, set of plotnodes, scene, settings etc. and may change individually or incombination with the location of the player. Storylines can change,evolve, branch or morph based on the changes in the local elements.Alternate settings may be applied, alternate levels may be offered forgameplay based on these changes.

Using the methods and systems disclosed in this application the localelements of the real world, location(s) become a vital factor impactingthe storyline of the virtual world. This provides for a richer gamingexperience and increases player engagement while making the gameplay ofthe virtual world more unique for each player.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a computer-implementedmethod is provided for enabling virtual gameplay on a computing devicein communication with a storage means. Access is provided to at leastone video game in which a player is able to interact with the video gameaccording to a storyline. A player location is detected or input at thecomputing device and the location is stored on the storage means. Alocal element is retrieved from a database using the computing devicebased on the player location. The local element is correlated to a localelement script actuatable in the video game. The computing device isused to retrieve and actuate the local element script in the video game,such that the local element script supplements or replaces thestoryline.

A second or subsequent location may be detected in the course ofgameplay. In this case, a second or further local element script may beretrieved that is related to the second or subsequent location and itslocal element.

The correlating of the local element preferably takes account of anoperating context within the game. Operating context refers to internaland/or external factors impacting a particular system, device,application, business, organization etc. For example, operating contextfor an application is the external environment that influences itsoperation. For a mobile application, the operating context may bedefined by the hardware and software environment in the device, thetarget user, and other constraints imposed by various otherstakeholders. In the case of the present invention, operating contextmay have a bearing on, for example, the selection of the local elementfor the detected location (e.g. selecting a kid-appropriate localelement to be introduced in a game for kids).

Preferably, the video game includes at least one virtual character. Thelocal element script may be used to modify the virtual character'sappearance, facial or body expression or health. Or it may be used tomodify the tools, weapons, equipment or clothing of the virtualcharacter. It may be used to modify character statistics of a virtualcharacter. For example, the local element may be used to determine anoverall mood or tension of a location. In this case, the local elementscript may be used to modify character statistics representing mood oraggression in the virtual character.

Preferably, the storyline comprises one or a combination of plot, plotnodes, character interactions, encounters, scene, setting, aesthetics,levels, premise, or theme. The local element script may be used tospecifically modify the scene or setting of the storyline. In oneexample, the local element script may be used to modify or introducenon-player characters, game monsters, enemies, traps or puzzlescorresponding to the local element.

The local element may include one or a combination of local events,local indicators, and local celebrities or news figures.

The local element may be a local news item. The local element script maybe used to modify the storyline to reflect that news item. For example,if the news item refers to a crowd of people, the local element scriptmay introduce a crowd of non-player characters into the storyline.

The local element may be a weather, social, political, economic, stockmarket, demographic, traffic, crime, or construction indicator relevantto the location. The local element script may be used to modify thestoryline to reflect that indicator.

The local element may be a local celebrity or news figure, in whichcase, the local element script may modify the storyline to introduce anon-player character representing that local celebrity or news figure.

The local element may include a keyword extracted from a news stream oflocal news items. This can be used, generically or specifically, tomatch to a profile and a specific script to modify gameplay.

The location may be re-detected at intervals, and in the event of achange in the location, a virtual character is shown moving to a newscene in the storyline.

If a null location is detected or the detected location is unsupported,a default or random storyline may be provided. Or, a player may be askedto input or select a location. An approximate match can also be used.

Preferably, the storage means is provided by one or a combination of: alocal fixed memory, a local removable memory, a remote fixed memory, aremote removable memory, and a virtual memory. The storage means may beselected from the group consisting of: a local data storage of a gameconsole, a local inbuilt memory, a user provided memory, an onlineserver, and a shared folder on a network.

Preferably, the detecting step includes retrieving player location froma sensor. In one embodiment, the player is enabled to play the gameusing a game device, and the player location may be detected by anon-board sensor on the game device (e.g. a mobile device).

Preferably, the detecting step includes retrieving player location fromone or a combination of GPS, A-GPS, WiFi, IP address, account or billingaddress, and player provided location information. The player providedlocation information may be a fantasy location.

The detecting step may further include retrieving at least one map froma map database in response to the detected location.

The location may be detected at login or during gameplay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the primary steps of the method,according to a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram representing an example of filtering a newsstream to impact storyline of gameplay.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram representing an example of ongoing locationdetection to impact storyline based on changed local elements.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the interplay betweenmultiple local elements and aspects of the storyline in a virtual world.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and arrangements of changing storyline for gaming applicationsand virtual worlds based on local elements are disclosed in thisapplication.

Before embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of the examples set forth in the following descriptions orillustrated drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments andof being practiced or carried out for a variety of applications and invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should notbe regarded as limiting.

Before embodiments of the software modules or flow charts are describedin detail, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to anyparticular software language described or implied in the figures andthat a variety of alternative software languages may be used forimplementation of the invention.

It should also be understood that many components and items areillustrated and described as if they were hardware elements, as iscommon practice within the art. However, one of ordinary skill in theart, and based on a reading of this detailed description, wouldunderstand that, in at least one embodiment, the components comprised inthe method and tool are actually implemented in software.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present invention may take the form of a computer program productembodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer or mobile device like aSmartphone, tablet e.g. iPad through any type of network, including alocal area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connectionmay be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internetusing an Internet Service Provider).

A “virtual world” as used herein need not be a “game” in the traditionalsense of a competition in which a winner and/or loser is determined, butrather that the term “game” incorporates the idea of a virtual world.Moreover, a person or entity who enters the virtual world in order toconduct business, tour the virtual world, or simply interact with othersor the virtual environment, with or without competing against anotherperson or entity is still considered to be “playing a game” or engagingin the gameplay of the game.

Virtual worlds can exist on game consoles for example Microsoft Xbox,and Sony Playstation, Nintendo Wii, etc., or on online servers, or onmobile devices (e.g. an iPhone or an iPad), Smartphones, portable gameconsoles like the Nintendo 3DS, or on a PC (personal computer) runningMS Windows, or MacOS, Android, Ubuntu, Linux or another operatingsystem. This list is not exhaustive but is exemplary of devices orcomputing environments where virtual worlds can exist, many othervariations are available and known to persons skilled in the art.

A computer or a game console that enables a user to engage with avirtual world, including a memory for storing a control program anddata, and a processor (CPU) for executing the control program and formanaging the data, which includes user data resident in the memoryincluding a set of gameplay statistics. The computer, or a game console,may be coupled to a video display such as a television, monitor, orother type of visual display while other devices may have itincorporated in them (iPad). A game or other simulations may be storedon a storage media such as a DVD, a CD, flash memory, USB memory orother type of memory media. The storage media can be inserted to theconsole where it is read. The console can then read program instructionsstored on the storage media and present a game interface to the user.

Typically, a user or a player manipulates a game controller to generatecommands to control and interact with the virtual world. The gamecontroller may include conventional controls, for example, control inputdevices such as joysticks, buttons and the like. Using the controller auser can interact with the game, such as by using buttons, joysticks,and movements of the controller and the like. This interaction orcommand may be detected and captured in the game console. The user'sinputs can be saved, along with the game data to record the game play.In one embodiment, the gameplay data can include usage statisticscaptured to record the user's experience as they progress from one levelof the game to the next.

The term “player” is intended to describe any entity that accesses thevirtual world, regardless of whether or not the player intends to or iscapable of competing against other players. Typically, a player willregister an account with the game console within a peer-to-peer game andmay choose from a list or create virtual characters that can interactwith other virtual characters of the virtual world.

The term “engage in gameplay” generally implies playing a game whetherit is for the purpose of competing, beating, or engaging with otherplayers. It also means to enter a virtual world in order to conductbusiness, tour a virtual world, or simply interact with others or avirtual environment, with or without competing against another entity.

A “virtual character” may include a persona created by a player orchosen from a list in the virtual world. Typically virtual charactersare modeled after the humans whether living or fantasy (e.g. charactersfrom mythology).

A virtual character is represented by one or more gameplay statistics,which encapsulate some meaning to connect the virtual (and digital)reality of the game to the real world. Many of these statistics are notapparent to the user as such, but are instead encoded within theframework of the game or composed together to form a script. Inrole-playing games (RPGs) and similar games, these statistics may beexplicitly exposed to the user through a special interface, often withadded meaning which provides context for the user's actions.

In virtual worlds (video/computer games) a non-player character (NPC) isa virtual character that is controlled by the program and not a player.NPC may also refer to other entities not under the direct control ofplayers. NPC behavior in a virtual world may be scripted and automatic.The scripted and automatic behavior of NPCs may change with the changinglocal elements thus in turn impacting the storyline of the virtualworld.

A “player character” or “playable character” (PC) is a virtual characterin a virtual world that is controlled or controllable by a player. Aplayer character is a persona of the player who controls it. In somecases a virtual world has only one player character and in other casesthere may be a small number of player characters from which a player maypick a certain virtual character that may suit his or her style ofgameplay, while in other scenarios there may be a large number ofcustomizable player characters available from which a player may choosea virtual character of their liking. An avatar—may include the physicalembodiment of a virtual character in the virtual world.

For the purpose of this application the term “story” may mean storyline,plot nodes, virtual character(s), set of virtual characters or characterinteraction, encounters, settings, aesthetics, levels, premise or themeamongst other things. The intent is to cover all such areas that may beimpacted by the location of the player, and are known to persons skilledin the art. Some of these terms are explained in more detail below.

Plot

A “plot” defines the events a story comprises, particularly as theyrelate to one another in a pattern, a sequence, through cause andeffect, or by coincidence. A well thought through plot with manydifferent patterns of events results in a more engaging and interestinggame. A plot may have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the eventsof the plot may causally relate to one another as being either dependantor probable. A plot may also refer to the storyline or the way a gameprogresses. Similarly a storyline may refer to a plot or a subplot of avirtual world. Thus for the purpose of this application the terms plotand storyline may be used interchangeably.

Plot Node

In a virtual world a “plot node” may be defined as a forking point inthe storyline where the plot of the story can diverge based on thedecisions a player makes, or the location of the player.

Plotline—Set of Plot Nodes

“Plotline” can be considered a certain sequence of interconnected plotnodes, while a set of plot nodes may or may not be interconnected. Aplotline may be integral to the main storyline or may be complimentaryand thus provide extra possibilities in terms of virtual characterinteraction and specific scenarios. Thus there may be a certainassociation between a certain local element and a plotline or a certainset of plot nodes. Therefore when a player from a certain location withcertain local element(s) joins the gameplay, the plotline or set of plotnodes associated with this local element(s) may become incorporated intothe gameplay.

Encounters

In a virtual world an “encounter” may be defined as a meeting betweentwo or more virtual characters or may be thought of as a decision pointat which a player encounters an opposing element (e.g. an enemy). Anencounter may be player initiated (actively engaging in fighting anenemy) or unwanted by the player. A player may opt to avoid an encounteror may actively engage in them to move to the next level of the virtualworld. The outcome of the encounters may at times define how the rest ofthe game progresses.

A “random encounter” is a feature commonly used in various role-playinggames (RPGs) whereby an encounter with a non-player character (NPC), anenemy, a monster, or a dangerous situation occurs sporadically and atrandom. Random encounters are generally used to simulate the challengesassociated with being in a hazardous environment, such as amonster-infested wilderness or dungeon usually with an uncertainfrequency of occurrence to simulate a chaotic nature.

Premise

The “premise” of a game or concept statement is a short, directdescription of the situation of a game and describes the fundamentalconcept that drives the plot. The premise determines the primary goalsof the virtual characters of a virtual world, the opposition to thesegoals and typically may define the means and the path that these virtualcharacters may take in achieving those goals. The primary objective isusually sought by both the protagonist (hero) and the antagonist(villain) but may only be achieved by one of them.

Theme

A “theme” is the main idea, moral, or message, of a game. It istypically the common thread or oft repeated idea that is incorporatedthroughout a game. Examples of themes in games: espionage-themedrole-playing game, martial arts—themed iPod based game, single-playerhorror-themed PC adventure game, fantasy-themed role-playing game,science fiction themed computer game, adult-themed video game, ahorror-themed FPS (first person shooter) video game, futuristic-themedcompetitive fighting game, paranormal investigation-themed role-playinggame etc.

Settings

“Settings” in the virtual world control multiple areas of the virtualworld (game). Settings may be changed by a player or may be impacted bythe local elements of the location of a player.

Levels

A “level” in the virtual world (video game) terminology refers to adiscrete subdivision of the virtual world. Typically a players begins atthe lowest level (level 1), and proceeds through increasingly numberedlevels, usually of increasing difficulty, until they reach the top levelto finish the game. In some games levels may refer to specific areas ofa larger virtual world, while in other games it may refer tointerconnected levels, representing different locations within thevirtual world.

Statistics (Stat)

A “statistic” (stat) in role-playing games (RPG) is a datum whichrepresents a particular aspect of a virtual character. Most virtualworlds separate statistics into several categories. The set ofcategories actually used in a game system, as well as the precisestatistics within each category may vary greatly from one virtual worldto another. Many virtual worlds also use derived statistics whose valuesdepend on other statistics, which are known as primary or basicstatistics. Derived statistics often represent a single capability ofthe character such as the weight a character can lift, or the speed atwhich they can move. Derived statistics are often used during combat,can be unitless numbers, or may use real-world units of measurement suchas kilograms or meters per second.

A virtual character's statistics affects how it behaves in a virtualworld. For example, a well-built muscular virtual character may be morepowerful and be able to throw certain virtual objects farther, but atthe same time may lack dexterity when maneuvering intricate virtualobjects. A virtual character may have any combination of statistics, butthese statistics may be limited by either a hard counter, soft counteror a combination of both.

Most devices where virtual worlds exist provide a mechanism to save thestate of the game, so that the game can be played from the same pointwhere it was left off. Methods for saving the state of the game includebut are not limited to the examples cited here, for example a gamingconsole may provide internal memory chips, or a port where a user canconnect user supplied memory; while games played over the Internet mayprovide online memory. The aforementioned memory space can also be usedfor saving the different components of the storyline that are affectedby the change in the real world location of the player to enhance thegameplay experience.

Script

A “script” defines the default behavior of a virtual character. Just aswith statistics, different scripts can refer to different behaviors forthe same virtual character.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the primary steps of the method,according to a preferred embodiment. A system is provided with a virtualworld 101. The virtual world may be a single player game or amultiplayer game or a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role PlayingGame) and may exist on any type of a gaming device which may include butnot limited to an iPhone, iPad, Smartphones, Android phones, personalcomputers e.g. laptops, gaming consoles like Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS,Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox 360, and online server based games etc.

The computer program comprises: a computer usable medium having computerusable program code, the computer usable program code comprises:computer usable program code for enabling change in storyline based onthe real world location of a player, computer usable program code forpresenting graphically to the player the different options available tomodify and personalize different aspects of the virtual world includingbut not limited to settings.

The player engages in gameplay of the virtual world 102. As mentionedearlier, the term “engage in gameplay” generally implies playing a gamewhether it is for the purpose of competing, beating, or engaging withother players. It also means to enter a virtual world in order toconduct business, tour a virtual world, or simply interact with othersor a virtual environment, with or without competing against anotherentity.

The player location is determined and information is gathered aboutlocal elements relevant to that location 103. As technology advances,more and more miniaturized electronic components become cost effectiveto be mass produced and included in all sorts of devices. Today manytypes of mobile devices e.g. Smartphones like iPhone include a built-inGPS sensor, have data coverage via mobile cellular network or WiFi, andare widely used for engaging in the gameplay of virtual worlds. Thusdetermining the player location is a well known method in the art. Theremay be other methods, well known in the art, to determine the playerlocation, e.g. using the Wireless Assisted GPS (A-GPS), WiFi network,using IP address, player provided information, using billing addresszip/area code, etc.

Similarly digital maps have become readily available e.g. Google Maps,Microsoft Bing Maps, etc. and once the GPS co-ordinates have beenreceived from the GPS sensor can be used for identifying thelocation/geographic landscape and acquiring other information e.g.demographics of the location. Similarly weather information and localnews are also readily available over the Internet. These news streamsmay be used for gathering the local elements of a location.

In one embodiment of the invention the location of the player is thereal world location where the player is engaging in the gameplay. In analternate embodiment the player may have defined the location e.g. aplayer is based in Seneca Falls, N.Y., but may have chosen to use thelocal elements of NY, N.Y. Or, the system may make such an approximationif there is no available local element data for Seneca Falls.

The storyline of the virtual world is then changed based on the localelements 104. Several exemplary methods are provided in this applicationfor illustrative purposes. The application is not limited to theseexamples but in fact covers all combinations, permutations, variationsetc. that may be obvious to the one skilled in the art.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram representing an example of filtering a newsstream to impact storyline of gameplay.

In one embodiment of the invention for a single player virtual world,there may be many variations of the virtual world such that eachvariation is associated with a profile, and certain real world elementsthat tend to occur in all places every now and then. For example severeweather, earthquakes, political, economic and social turmoil, protests,marathons, street festivals, traffic congestion, stock market rise andfall, food shortages, price hikes, each may be associated with a certainprofile. There may be generic profiles that are associated with suchelements in general, and there may be specific profiles that areassociated with specific and unique real world local elements.

For example there may be generic profiles for severe weather,earthquakes, street festivals etc. such that when one such local elementis in effect at a certain location the relevant variations of thevirtual world may be applied, using a generic profile associated withsuch a local element.

Similarly there may be specific profiles for specific local elements forexample Mardi Gras, New York Marathon, October Fest, etc. In oneembodiment of the invention, when a player's location is determined bygathering location information from say the gaming device's built-in GPSsensor, and it is determined that the player is in a certain locationwhere a particular local (event) element is taking place (e.g. player isin New Orleans, La., and its Mardi Gras week) the relevant variation ofthe virtual world may be applied, using a particular profile. Eachprofile is implemented using a script.

Turning to the flow diagram in FIG. 2, the player location is determined201. As mentioned earlier there are several well understood prior artmethods for determining the player location.

Information about local elements is gathered, e.g. by capturing thelocal news stream 202. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, oncethe location of the player is determined, gathering information aboutlocal elements may involve going to local news website to obtain localinformation on events and happenings.

This gathered news stream can then be filtered based on key words 203.In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the captured news streamfrom the determined location of the player is filtered by key words. Asexplained earlier, a virtual world may have a certain set of scriptsassociated with generic profiles and particular profiles. The list ofkey words may be derived from the list of profiles, since the virtualworld can only apply variations to the gameplay based on the scriptsthat it can handle. If new scripts are added then new key wordsassociated with these scripts/profiles may also be added to the virtualworld, expanding its scope. Key words may have a wide range e.g. severeweather, storms, record rainfall, flooding, murder, theft, mugging,rape, protests, election, etc.

Key stories related to the location may then be identified based on thekey word filtering and these results of the filtering can be compiled204. Stories can be associated with key words. For example, as in thetable below, a list of profiles may be associated with key words, andthe local news feed can then be filtered to find specific incidences ofthose key words. The profile may be triggered if the key words show upin the news feed.

List of Profiles Key Words News Feed Filter Fire in the City FIRE, BLAZEWarehouse blaze Theft in the City THEFT, ROBBERY, HEIST Murder in theCity MURDER, KILLING

In this case, the news feed filter found an item that matched the keyword “blaze”, so the “Fire in the City” profile would be selected to beimplemented using local element scripts.

Key profiles are determined that are associated with the filteredresults 205. In one embodiment of the invention each profile may beassociated with one or more scripts.

A script defines the default behavior of a virtual character. Just aswith statistics, different scripts can refer to different behaviors.Using the method and system of the invention, a default script of avirtual character may define its default behavior and in order toimplement an altered behavior associated with a change in the localelements of a location a certain other script may be used instead of thedefault script of a virtual character.

In one embodiment script(s) may be associated with certain localelement(s), and these scripts may already be embedded in a virtual world(game), but are dormant and may get invoked once a local element meetsthe criteria to call this script. In one embodiment there may be genericscripts associated with generic local elements, e.g. stormy weather,traffic congestion, murder, robbery, etc. Thus the appropriate scriptmay be called into the game based on the local elements of a location.These changes in the scripts may be made periodically e.g. once a day,or may get changed with the changing local elements in real time e.g.several times a day.

In one embodiment the local elements of the player location may be usedto define the Player Character(s), some or all Non-Player Characters(NPCs), and certain sets of plot nodes, levels, or encounters. Thus whena player engages in gameplay with a certain set of local elements, thePlayer Character (PC) may have certain characteristics that are based onthese local elements. The system may also load a certain type of NPCs.The number of NPCs itself may also vary with the local elements e.g.when there is a protest in the real world location of the player, alarge number of NPCs may appear in the virtual world and may engage indestructive behavior and a certain set of plot nodes associated withthis situation may be loaded in the game.

In another embodiment with the change in local elements, the system ofthe invention may import scripts associated with this local element, sothat the resulting gameplay is varied and thus more sophisticated.

In yet another embodiment the scripts associated with different profilesfor the local elements may be downloaded (either automatically or uponplayer request) from a central server that acts as a repository foradditional scripts. In another embodiment the user may have to pay whenacquiring these additional scripts e.g. from a remote server.

The scripts are used to impact the storyline of the gameplay 206. In oneembodiment of the invention for a single player virtual world as thelocal elements change so does the storyline of the virtual world.

In another embodiment of the invention, the different Player Characters,Non-Player Characters, and settings for virtual character statistics mayalso vary with the changing local elements. For example thepersonalities of virtual characters when playing the game in New Orleansduring Mardi Gras week may be more playful as opposed to the same gamewhen played in New York, N.Y. after a string of murders so that thepersonalities of virtual characters may be more violent.

Such an affect can be achieved by having different stats for the PCs andNPCs, such that one set of stats is associated with a certain type oflocal element while another set of stats is associated with another typeof local element. Thus by having different sets of stats, eachassociated with a certain local element, the same Player Character orNPC can exhibit a different behavior/personality.

In one embodiment, a player logs on the gaming server, a set of plotnodes associated with the local element(s) of the player location maynow become available to the other players engaged in the gameplay of thevirtual world. When another player logs off, the set of plot nodesassociated with that particular location's local elements may now beunavailable to the players still playing the game. Thus the gameplaychanges as player from diverse real world locations with varying sets oflocal elements engage and disengage in the gameplay of the virtualworld.

In one embodiment of the invention impact to the storyline may be madeby loading the script(s) associated with the identified localelement(s). These scripts may be already imbedded in the game, butdormant till called. New scripts for changing local elements may beadded to the game by the game developer or players to reflect newscenarios, thus expanding the scope of the game.

The occurrence and outcome of special bonus features, the amountswagered on any bets, the outcomes for any intermediate game stages, theresults of any player decisions made during the game, bonus plays andtheir outcomes, the final game outcomes etc. may also change based onthe local elements of the location of the player.

In one embodiment of the invention extra points and lives are eithergranted or deducted when certain local elements change and warrant achange in the virtual world. For example the real world stock market ofthe location where the player is located has gone up, thus the playermay be given extra lives. While a loss in the stock market may bereflected with the deduction of points and lives. Similarly if theinterest rates on loans go up in the real world, the assets of thevirtual characters may get devalued in the virtual world.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram representing an example of ongoing locationdetection to impact storyline based on changed local elements. As shown,gameplay starts with a plotline associated with the gathered localelements 301.

The system checks whether the local elements have changed 302. In orderto determine the changes in local elements the original profiles andassociated key words may be stored in a file or a database, and the newones compared with the ones already stored. In a preferred embodiment,this comparison may be done on an as needed basis, preferably on aperiodic basis, such that the frequency may be selectable by the playeror the game developer. In another embodiment this comparison is done inreal time, i.e. news stream is filtered in real time and all changes tolocal elements applied thereafter.

If Yes 302 a (i.e. the local elements have changed), then the systemimpacts the storyline by loading an alternate plotline associated withthe changed local elements 303.

If No, 302 b (i.e. there is no change to the local elements), then thesystem continues the gameplay of the virtual world unchanged 304.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the interplay betweenmultiple local elements and aspects of the storyline in a virtual world.FIG. 4 shows a sample multiplayer virtual world (game) 402 with Player1,located at real world location Location1, and having an associated setof local elements Set1 401 a. Player2 is located at real world locationLocation2 and has associated set of local elements Set2 401 b. Player3is located at real world location Location3 and has associated set oflocal elements Set3 401 c. These three players are engaged in thegameplay of the virtual world, in this case, a multiplayer game 402.

The storyline 403 of the multiplayer virtual world 402 may be composedof encounters 404, levels, 405, aesthetics 406, set of plot nodes 407 orsettings 408 amongst other items described earlier in this application.

The storyline 403 may be impacted/changed by a change in any one of theencounters 404, levels, 405, aesthetics 406, set of plot nodes 407and/or settings 408 based on the real world locations of the playersengaged in the gameplay. The storyline 403 then in turn impacts thegameplay of the virtual world 402.

The storyline may be changed by changing the plot nodes or set of plotnodes, virtual character (both player characters and non-playercharacters), set of virtual characters or virtual character interaction,settings, aesthetics, levels, premise or theme, encounters, levels etc.Thus a change in the local elements of the player location may impactany one of the earlier mentioned variables. The application is notlimited to the cited examples, but the intent is to cover all such areasthat may be used in a virtual world to impact the storyline of a virtualworld.

Several exemplary embodiments/implementations of the invention are givenbelow. There may be other methods obvious to the ones skilled in theart, and the intent is to cover all such scenarios.

In one embodiment of the invention the encounters and their outcomes maychange when certain local elements are found present. Elements of anencounter, such as opponent appearance or fighting style may tailorthemselves to fit the changing local elements. For example on a hotmuggy day the player's virtual character may need to shed his heavyclothing while on a cold snowy night the player's virtual character mayneed extra layers of clothing and may lose health points when sufficientclothing is not available; thus perhaps forcing virtual characters tosteal clothing items from NPCs.

In some embodiments of the invention there may be long term changes inresponse to the change in local elements. For example in a certain citya local mayoral election is held and a new mayor is elected while at thesame time new logging licenses are issued to the forestry industry. Thismay be reflected in the virtual world by the introduction of a verypowerful villain who may not be defeated till the mayor is in office asan elected representative and the forests in the virtual world may besimilarly reduced by simulating logging by NPCs.

In other embodiments of the invention there may be short term localelements like weather that may impact the gameplay such that the localweather conditions may be used to create the ambiance in the virtualworld. Thus if it sunny and hot outside in the real world where theplayer is located, the same may be reflected in the virtual world, andthe virtual characters may have to shed some layers of clothing to staycomfortable. Similarly, if it is raining in the location where theplayer is based, the virtual world may simulate a storm to emulate thereal world. Thus the real weather may impact the storyline by eithercreating a similar or opposite weather in the virtual world. In anotherembodiment of the invention the weather forecast model may be used forchanges to gameplay.

Let's take into consideration a more detailed example, one that is basedon a weather related event that devastated many cities in North America,Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. As the hurricane moved from onecity to the other the locations in its path encountered varying degreesof damage and destruction and thus spawned some very local events(elements). In New York, N.Y. there was wide spread flooding includingflooding of major tunnels, deaths due to fire and flooding, stockmarkets were closed for a record time, subway closures, fires,evacuations, food and gas shortages, lack of public transport andresultant loss of work days. While in Toronto Canada, the same weathersystem had a lesser degree of effect but nevertheless brought strongwinds, flying/falling debris, injuries and death due to the falling neonsigns, uprooting of trees etc.

Thus two players playing the same game at the same time in the two abovementioned cities may experience two varying (albeit related) storylines.Therefore when playing a virtual world (game) one where this inventionis implemented, a player in New York, N.Y. may experience the ambianceof the game change to dark and stormy skies, rain and flooding whichmake certain bridges impassable in the game, a certain change in thebehavior of the virtual characters where they are suddenly more afraid,bunches of NPCs running randomly in confusion and panic, while thenumber of points required to acquire items may go up significantly forthe duration of such an event etc.

While a player in Toronto, Canada playing the same game at the exactsame time may experience stiff winds and fallen trees which may makegetting from one point to another more difficult, flying and fallingdebris which has to be dodged in order to prevent injury and loss ofhealth points etc.

In one embodiment of the invention relating to a MMORPG (MassivelyMultiplayer Online Role Playing Game) the local elements of therespective locations of the players engaged in the gameplay at any giventime impacts the storyline. Thus for example certain branches of thestoryline and/or set(s) of plot nodes may become available when playersfrom a certain location are either logged in or logged off.

When a new player engages in gameplay of the MMORPG, gather playerlocation information e.g. using the embedded GPS sensor of a gamingdevice, then gather the local elements associated with this location.There may be other methods for determining player location, e.g. usingIP address, WiFi network location, AGPS and other well known techniquesin the art.

The system checks to see if the local elements of above said playerlocation are unique, i.e. if any other player from the same location isalso engaged in the gameplay of the virtual world at the same time oranother player from another location with similar local elements isengaged in the gameplay. If player location and its local elements areunique then the system may load alternate/complementary set of storylineplot nodes associated with these new local elements. Gameplay continuesusing the new information. If player location and its local elements arenot unique then gameplay continues with no changes.

In an alternate embodiment a certain set of storyline plot nodes becomeunavailable when a player from a location with certain local elementsengages in the gameplay of the virtual world.

In multiplayer virtual worlds as new players engage in the gameplay andas other disengage, the respective local elements of their respectivelocations may have a cumulative effect in changing the storyline of thevirtual world.

In an alternate embodiment a certain set of storyline plot nodes maybecome available when a player from a certain location with certainlocal elements disengages in the gameplay of a virtual world.

In another embodiment the storyline of the virtual world may change withthe change of local elements, such that the virtual character can skiplevels, or move from one level to the other randomly, or the game maylock out odd or even number levels (or other combinations of levels) tochange the storyline.

In yet another embodiment the aesthetics of the virtual world may changewith the changing local elements of the real world location of theplayer. For example the background of a platform game may changedepending on the location (city) of the player and its current localelements (e.g. stormy weather or clear blue skies).

In another embodiment the virtual character interaction may change withthe changing local elements of the player location. For example when allis quiet in the city where the player is located (i.e. no local elementsmatch the key words) the virtual character interaction is more subdued.By contrast, when the same city encounters a string of murders, thevirtual character interaction may become more aggressive, and theassociated dialogue may also change correspondingly. Such an embodimentcan be implemented by having different scripts for the virtualcharacters, and changing the scripts with the changing local elements ofthe real world location of the player.

In one embodiment the theme of the game may change with the changinglocal elements. For example, the original theme may be an espionagetheme. After news of a local murder, the theme of the game may change toa murder mystery (to solve the local case), or a horror theme.

In another embodiment the premise of the game may change with thechanging local elements of a location. For example, the original premisemay be a treasure hunt. After a kidnapping news item, the premise maychange to a quest to find the victim of the kidnapping.

In another embodiment the storyline of the virtual world may havemultiple forks with multiple possibilities, and each time the localelements of the player location change, a new path(s) may be choseneither randomly or based on a dice roll or based on a pre-configuredsetting or based on a player defined setting.

In another embodiment of the invention, the statistics of the playercharacter (PC) and the non-player characters (NPC) may depend on thelocal elements of the player location and may change when these localelements changes.

For example, in one embodiment when a player engages in gameplay of aparticular virtual world from a first location the stats for a PC aresuch that the virtual character is physically very strong but is lessintelligent, while when the same player engages in the gameplay of thesame virtual world from a second location, the stats for the same PC aresuch that the virtual character is now more intelligent but less strongphysically. The change in virtual character statistics may either dependon predefined relationships or may depend on a dice roll or may beentirely random.

One embodiment of the invention may preferably also provide a frameworkor an API (Application Programming Interface) for virtual world creationthat allows a developer to incorporate the functionality of a changingstoryline based on the changing local elements of the player location.Using such a framework or API allows for a more uniform virtual worldgeneration, and eventually allows for more complex and extensive abilityto change storyline.

It should be understood that although the term game has been used as anexample in this application but in essence the term may also imply anyother piece of software code where the embodiments of the invention areincorporated. The software application can be implemented in astandalone configuration or in combination with other software programsand is not limited to any particular operating system or programmingparadigm described here. For the sake of simplicity, we singled out gameapplications for our examples. Similarly we described users of theseapplications as players. There is no intent to limit the disclosure togame applications or player applications. The terms players and usersare considered synonymous and imply the same meaning. Likewise, virtualworlds, games and applications imply the same meaning. Thus, thisapplication intends to cover all applications and user interactionsdescribed above and ones obvious to persons skilled in the art.

Although virtual world storyline changes based on changing localelements of the player location have been exemplified above withreference to gaming, it should be noted that virtual worlds are alsoassociated with many industries and applications. For example, virtualworlds can be used in movies, cartoons, computer simulations, and videosimulations, among others. All of these industries and applicationswould benefit from a changing storyline based on changing local elementsof the player location.

The examples noted here are for illustrative purposes only and may beextended to other implementation embodiments. While several embodimentsare described, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to theembodiment(s) disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to coverall alternatives, modifications, and equivalents obvious to personsskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of enabling virtualgameplay on a computing device in communication with a storage means anda location sensor, the method comprising the steps of: providing accessto a video game having a virtual character with a virtual characterstatistic in which a player in a real world player geographic locationinteracts with the video game and with other players in other real worldplayer geographic locations playing other virtual characters; detectingwith the location sensor the real world player geographic location ofthe player and storing the real world player geographic location in thestorage means; creating in a database a local element script associatedwith the real world player geographic location, the local element scriptactuatable in the video game to modify one or more of the virtualcharacter statistic and a plot node; and retrieving from the databasemapping information related to the real world player geographic locationof the player and actuating the corresponding local element script inthe video game while the player is interacting with the video game andthe player's real world player geographic location is not represented byanother player and not actuating the corresponding local element scriptwhen the player's real world player geographic location is representedby another player, wherein actuating the local element script comprisesmodifying the virtual character statistic of the player's virtualcharacter and modifying one or more of a virtual character statistic anda plot node of at least one of the other players' virtual characters. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a second orsubsequent location in the course of gameplay, and creating a second orfurther local element script, the second or further local element scriptbeing related to the second or subsequent location.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the creation of the local element script takes accountof an operating context within the game.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the local element script modifies the virtual character'sappearance, facial or body expression or health.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the local element script modifies the tools, weapons,equipment or clothing of the virtual character.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the player is able to interact with the video game accordingto a storyline which comprises one or a combination of plot, plot nodes,character interactions, encounters, scene, setting, aesthetics, levels,premise, or theme.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the local elementscript modifies the scene or setting of the storyline.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the location is re-detected at intervals, and in theevent of a change in the location, a virtual character is shown movingto a new scene in the storyline.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein if anull location is detected or the detected location is unsupported, adefault or random storyline is provided.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein if the location does not match a local element in the database,an approximate match is used.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein thestorage means is provided by one or a combination of: a local fixedmemory, a local removable memory, a remote fixed memory, a remoteremovable memory, and a virtual memory.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the storage means is selected from the group consisting of: alocal data storage of a game console, a local inbuilt memory, a userprovided memory, an online server, and a shared folder on a network. 13.The method of claim 1, wherein the player is enabled to play the gameusing a game device, and the player location is detected by an on-boardsensor on the game device.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the gamedevice is a mobile device.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetecting step includes retrieving player location from one or acombination of GPS, A-GPS, WiFi, IP address, account or billing address,and player provided location information.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the player provided location information is a fantasy location.17. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping information includes atleast one map from a map database representing the detected location.18. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is detected at login.19. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is detected duringgameplay.
 20. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving fromthe database using the computing device a local element based on thereal world player location.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein thelocal element is used to determine overall mood or tension of alocation, and the local element script modifies character statisticsrepresenting mood or aggression in the virtual character.
 22. The methodof claim 20, wherein the local element script modifies or introducesnon-player characters, game monsters, enemies, traps or puzzlescorresponding to the local element.
 23. The method of claim 20, whereinthe local element comprises one or a combination of local events, localindicators, and local celebrities or news figures.
 24. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the local element is a local news item and the localelement script modifies the storyline to reflect that news item.
 25. Themethod of claim 24, wherein, if the news item refers to a crowd ofpeople, the local element script introduces a crowd of non-playercharacters into the storyline.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein thelocal element comprises a keyword extracted from a news stream of localnews items.
 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the local element is aweather, social, political, economic, stock market, demographic,traffic, crime, or construction indicator relevant to the location, andthe local element script modifies the storyline to reflect thatindicator.
 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the local element is alocal celebrity or news figure, and the local element script modifiesthe storyline to introduce a non-player character representing thatlocal celebrity or news figure.